Walworth County seeks tips in 1982 murder

Witnesses saw a pickup truck resembling the 1961 Studebaker shown here, which might have been involved in an unsolved murder in 1982. Walworth County authorities are asking for the public's help in solving the cold case.

Barbara Nelson

ELKHORN—Walworth County authorities are hoping new ways to report tips lead to information about a woman's disappearance and murder, a crime that has gone unsolved for more than 30 years.

Barbara Nelson was 34 when she disappeared from her job at a gas station in the Dane County town of Albion on Aug. 5, 1982. Her body was found five days later in a field near Elkhorn.

The Walworth County Sheriff's Office on Friday asked the public for help in the 31-year-old cold case, hoping to get information about a vehicle that may have been involved in the crime.

Witnesses told police they saw “an older blue or green pickup truck,” according to a news release, which might have been a 1961 Studebaker pickup.

“If you know of anyone who, back in 1982, owned or had access to a vehicle matching this description, please contact the Walworth County or Dane County Sheriff's Office,” authorities wrote in the release.

There are three ways for people to give anonymous tips for the case, according to the release: